Chris Hemsworth and Michael Mann team up to battle cyber-terrorism (in a movie)

Movie Talk

bryanenkFebruary 15, 2013

(Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

At last -- the God of Thunder has met the Mann of Men.

"Thor" star Chris Hemsworth will soon be taking a leave of absence from the hallowed halls of Asgard to engage in a conflict more based in reality as he signs on to star in the latest crime thriller from director Michael Mann.

Plot details are being kept under wraps, though the untitled pic is said to revolve around cyber threats and attacks. Details are also unavailable on Hemsworth's character, though we imagine he'll be the one attempting to thwart those threats and attacks rather than the one instigating them.

The film makes for Mann's first feature since "Public Enemies" (2009) and a return to the genre he knows so well after calling the shots on such classic crime dramas as "Thief" (1981), "Manhunter" (1986), "Heat" (1995) and "Collateral" (2004). Mann co-wrote the script with Morgan Davis Foehl, who's also penning the screenplay for the video game adaptation, "Mass Effect."

Mann, who recently co-produced the short-lived HBO series "Luck," is known for taking his time with developing feature film projects and is currently attached to no less than six: the gangster drama "Big Tuna," the historical epic "Agincourt," the racing pic "Go Like Hell," the biopic "Capa," the prospecting pic "Gold" and, just this week, the cop thriller "The Big Stone Grid," which has been described as a cross between "Seven" and "Marathon Man." However, Warner Bros. plans to commence with production on the untitled cyber-thriller as early as June (which means someone should probably come up with a title).

The project fills a gap in Chris Hemsworth's schedule upon the indefinite postponement of Steven Spielberg's "Robopocalypse," in which he was set to star with Anne Hathaway, and the slow-going development on the sequel to "Snow White and the Huntsman." Hemsworth is also attached to "In the Heart of the Sea," which may shoot at Warner Bros. in the fall after Mann's film wraps.

Chris Hemsworth will next be seen in "Rush," director Ron Howard's racing biopic chronicling the rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda, opening Sept. 20, and in "Thor: The Dark World," opening Nov. 8.